Index
05 March 2010
Haiti donation marks International Women's Day
Women are taking the lead in rebuilding life and community in Haiti. Image © istockphoto.
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RMIT University is celebrating International Women’s Day by donating $3,000 to the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), to support women in Haiti.
Following the devastating earthquake on 13 January, UNIFEM is providing emergency community-based violence prevention programs, repairing damage to existing centres and supplying emergency supplies, staff and counselling services to communities most affected.
RMIT Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Margaret Gardner AO, said UNIFEM had identified that the aftermath of natural disasters put women at the forefront in their roles as caregivers, as economic actors and as the builders of “community”.
“Disasters also put women and girls in a situation of increased vulnerability to violence, particularly sexual and gender-based violence,” Professor Gardner said.
“The UNIFEM team in Haiti will work with non-government organisations to support victims of gender-based violence and their families in women’s centres and temporary shelters in the main cities Port au Prince and Jacmel.”
Professor Gardner said RMIT had a strong commitment to the rights of women, reflected in the University being named an Employer of Choice for Women for the third successive year in 2009.
“We also offer tailored professional development for women staff members, such as career planning for academics and developing management skills.”
International Women’s Day is celebrated around the world on 8 March as a day to honour women’s actions and achievements and recognise continuing challenges in achieving equity and fairness.
In 2010 the theme is “Equal rights, equal opportunity: Progress for all”.
Women from the RMIT Senior Leadership Group and RMIT alumni of the ATN WEXDEV (Women’s Executive Development) Program attended a UNIFEM fundraising breakfast on 3 March.
ATN WEXDEV is an executive development program for women in the five universities of the Australian Technology Network, which includes RMIT.
Proceeds from the breakfast were directed towards the empowerment of women migrant workers from Indonesia who have migrated to work elsewhere in Asia and in the Arab states.
UNIFEM is working with these women, before they depart, to train them in their rights as workers, employment responsibilities and give them basic information about contracts.
Once they arrive in a country, UNIFEM works with the women to ensure they have safe housing, legitimate contracts and workplace rights.
